Presidential candidate and European Court of Justice Judge Egils Levits is optimistic about his chances of becoming Latvia’s next president.

In an interview to LNT programme 900 seconds, Levits said that if Latvia has a fair policy, a majority of votes for him is guaranteed.

As an additional positive fact that could ensure fair voting and his approval as president, Levits mentioned the fact that for the first time in Latvia’s history the Saeima will vote for the president openly this year.

Levits has yet to meet with Saeima’s opposition parties. Nevertheless, he believes it would be good if the opposition supported him. «If the opposition provided support, it would benefit all. The final word, however, belongs to parties forming the majority,» he said.

He believes an excellent president for Latvia would be someone open to the entire nation. «This means even though the president is elected by the majority of the Saeima, he still represents the entire nation,» the presidential candidate explains his vision, adding that the president should represent the nation’s interests in a long-term perspective and be able to consolidate opinions. The country’s president cannot make decisions, but he can convince others to plan further into the future. Parties, on the other hand, often decide to work with short-term interests, says Levits.

He says he is well-aware of Latvia’s situation thanks to the specifics of his job – perhaps «better than some people living in their bubble». «I know rather well what people and my relatives think about political elite,» adds Levits.

The EU court judge also mentioned that the president’s main tools include the art of speech and the ability to consolidate opinions. This is why he intends to use these tools the most if he becomes president.

As for possible changes to legislation, Levits mentioned that the priority matter should be resolving the problem with information space. This would require improving legislation in relation to public media. «Judging from recent events, I would say this is topical,» said Levits, adding that he believes Latvia’s public media legislation should adopt the practice employed by European countries.

Last week in and about Lithuania, the top developments were the dismissal of two high-ranking judges, the formation of a new political group in Seimas and the Human Rights Court agreeing to Soviet repressions against Lithuanian partisans as genocide.

At a speedy pace – this is how the emerging crisis in waste management was being prevented in Riga this week. Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš gave Riga City Council a bashing, saying that Riga is attempting to pass on its problems on the shoulders of the entire country. The prime minister asked the capital to settle its own problems. Nevertheless, the government declared a state of emergency in Riga.

In regards to the topic of the state budget’s fiscal space in 2020 and expenditures for priorities, Latvia’s Justice Ministry insists on maintaining its position in regards to Liepaja Prison’s construction project’s necessity.

In the Brexit saga, speaker of a parliamentary chamber has pledged to permit changing the rules of procedure to keep UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson from forcing a no-deal Brexit on October 31, seen as a potential violation of law.

In Lithuania, inflation has been two times faster in 2019 compared to other markets in the euro area. Economist Žygimantas Mauricas believes retailers have used a surge in wages to increase prices, especially in grocery stores.

Municipalities are planned to be applied with a ban to found and publish mass media, as provided by Saeima’s Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee’s supported amendments to the Law on Press and Other Mass Media, as confirmed by Saeima’s press-service.

Latvia still has not ratified European Council Convention on Prevention of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, otherwise known as the Istanbul Convention, even though it is a major tool for combating domestic violence, said UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women representative Ana Peláez Narváez.

As two prominent TV faces are set to win the runoff elections to take vacant seats left in Lithuanian parliament after two MPs swapped their parliamentary jobs for mayoral stints and an independent MP, Aušra Maldeikienė, left for Brussels as europarliamentarian, the Lithuanian Social Democrats’ leader, Gintautas Paluckas, who is former vice-mayor of capital city Vilnius, is restless.

Latvian residents are expected to install smoke detectors in their homes – private houses and apartments – by 1 January. For private homes, however, there is an additional requirement – owners are expected to have fire extinguishers on hand as well, reminds State Fire and Rescue Service.

The latest Times Higher Education ranking of the leading large higher education institutions in the world, the University of Tartu has been placed in the group of 301-350 best. Other Baltic universities followed in the group of 801-1000.

«The summer will not last forever,» said Lithuanian Finance Minister Vilius Šapoka about a summary of official economic forecasts, which warn that after a fairly rapid growth, national economy and wages would grow at a somewhat slower pace.

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